Day in Pop Report for 09/13/2012

(TMZ) Chad Johnson has officially been charged with misdemeanor battery after allegedly headbutting his wife Evelyn Lozada during a nuclear argument last month, this according to the State Attorney for Broward County, Florida.

If convicted, Chad faces up to a year in jail. As we reported, Chad was arrested for domestic violence in Florida on August 11th after a fight over a condom receipt allegedly turned violent. Evelyn told police Chad headbutted her.

At the time of the fight, Evelyn and Chad had barely been married a month. Evelyn has since filed for divorce, claiming their marriage had become "irretrievably broken."

Chad is refusing to sign any divorce papers, insisting he's still in love with her.

Chad was also dropped from the Miami Dolphins following his arrest. He's now a free agent.

Blink-182's Travis Barker and Yelawolf are giving fans a free download of their new track "Push Em."

The song comes from their collaborative five song EP, Psycho White, which is set to be released on November 13th, 2012.

Psycho White, released through LaSalle Records / Killer Distribution, is produced entirely by Travis Barker and features guest vocals from Tim Armstrong (Rancid, Operation Ivy, Transplants), and Skinhead Rob (Transplants, Death March) as well as scratches and cuts by Mixmaster Mike (Beastie Boys).

(popmusiclife) Christina Aguilera hosted a twitter chat on Wednesday and shared some details about her upcoming projects.

Aguilera will releasing her new single, "Your Body," on Friday, and it will available on iTunes on Monday.

The singer also says she will release her album, "Lotus," in November. Christina explained that she chose "Lotus" as the title since it represents "an unbreakable flower that survives under the hardest conditions and still thrives."

(TMZ) Jerry "The King" Lawler is making tremendous progress after suffering a heart attack earlier this week ... and is now awake, alert and responsive ... this according to Lawler's son.

TMZ spoke with Kevin Lawler ... who tells us, "[Jerry] is hooked up to tubes and is still not able to speak but he's writing stuff on a notepad to talk to people."

"Not just brief notes, but detailed stories which show he knows where he is and what is going on."

Kevin says the family was concerned about brain damage because Jerry wasn't breathing for several minutes after suffering the heart attack ... but doctors say so far, it appears Lawler's brain is fine.

As we previously reported, 62-year-old Lawler suffered the heart attack on live TV on Sept. 10 during a taping of "Monday Night Raw" in Montreal.

The album was produced by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and Blue Note Records President Don Was.

"Aaron Neville is one of the most expressive and soulful artists of all time, it's such a thrill to hear him sing," Was says. "His vocals have a way of reaching into your heart and stirring something really deep inside. It's a huge honor to welcome him to Blue Note Records and to be involved, along with the legendary Keith Richards, in the production of this album."

(TMZ) Michael Madsen's joyride on the California coast -- in an all-American classic sportscar -- ended abruptly when the actor was arrested for DUI with a blood alcohol level allegedly more than twice the legal limit ... TMZ has learned.

According to L.A. County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore ... a citizen first spotted Madsen driving erratically on PCH in Malibu around 2:50PM PT and called cops.

We're told responding deputies witnessed Madsen weaving through traffic -- in a Pontiac GTO with a red flame paint job -- and when they pulled him over they smelled alcohol.

Whitmore tells TMZ Madsen was arrested on suspicion of DUI after he performed poorly on a field sobriety test.

Whtimore says Madsen submitted to a breathalyzer test after his arrest ... and blew an outrageous .20. The legal limit in California is .08.

We're told Madsen's bail has been set at $15,000. He remains in custody ... just like his hot rod GTO, which was towed away from the arrest scene.

Update: Madsen's attorney Perry Wander tells TMZ ... the actor wants to assure his fans that he did not fail the field sobriety test and "believes that the breathalyzer test is flawed."

Wander says Madsen insists the whole thing is just a big misunderstanding.

(TMZ) Amanda Bynes was driving aimlessly for hours Tuesday ... while smoking out of what appears to be a marijuana pipe and tooling around L.A. on a suspended license.

The photos -- obtained by TMZ -- show Bynes taking multiple hits out of a pipe that is designed to look like a cigarette lighter in your car.

In one shot, you see what appears to be remnants of marijuana in a cup holder. Some of the nugs appear burnt -- as if they had already been smoked.

The car is a mess. Trash is strewn everywhere. There are stains on the seat, empty bottles, dog hair and various other items.

Amanda started her journey at Baja Fresh in the San Fernando Valley, where she smoked from the pipe in the restaurant parking lot and ate tacos. She then went to a spa, where she spent 3 hours. We're told Amanda then drove without purpose for several hours, sometimes cutting off other drivers and violating various traffic laws. Amanda ended up at Home Depot, where she again took a hit from the pipe in the parking lot.

TMZ has confirmed ... Amanda is driving illegally, because the DMV suspended her license on August 25. As for why her license was yanked, we believe it's because she refused to take a sobriety test when she was busted for DUI in April. In California, such refusal results in automatic license suspension.

TMZ broke the story ... Amanda has been charged with 2 hit-and-runs and various drivers have complained that she has either hit them as well or created peril.

(TMZ) Coolio's son Grtis Ivey -- who appeared on the family reality show "Coolio's Rules" -- has just been sentenced to prison for robbing an apartment in Vegas with a lady hooker friend ... and he could be locked up for 10 YEARS.

A rep for the Clark County District Attorney's office tells TMZ, 22-year-old Grtis was sentenced to serve between 42-120 months in prison -- meaning he has to serve at LEAST 42 months ... but if the Nevada Department of Corrections finds good reason, it can hold him for up to 10 years.

As we first reported, Ivey was arrested on November 14, 2011 for busting into a Las Vegas apartment with a gun and forcing the tenant into the bathroom ... while his female prostitute friend ransacked the place.

(TMZ) The guy who played Lattimer in the 1993 football flick "The Program" tells TMZ ... his animal cruelty arrest is total BS ... claiming the 25 dogs discovered in his Santa Monica mobile home are "rescues" that he was trying to place with loving families.

TMZ broke the story ... Andrew Bryniarski and his GF were arrested Saturday night after cops say they were neglecting the animals -- noting that several of the Pomeranians appeared sick and starving -- and claiming the home smelled like urine.

But Bryniarski says the cops are lying -- telling us, "Nobody cares for my dogs better than I do, or finds them better homes. These are lies ... and the only thing that smells like piss or maybe sh*t is the story from the Santa Monica Police Department."

Bryniarski tells TMZ ... "We bought the RV as a mobile adoption unit about a week ago to find good, forever homes for the majority of the poms, all of which we have raised ourselves or rescued."

So why would the cops make up the story? Bryniarski claims the City of Santa Monica doesn't want RVs posted up in the nice part of town ... and is doing anything they can to drive them out.

As for the dogs, we've learned all 25 are currently being held at the Santa Monica Animal Shelter ... but Bryniarski tells us he's doing everything in his power to get them back ASAP.

(TMZ) Matt Lauer does NOT believe Al Roker is trying to sabotage the "Today" show ... despite his crazy antics ... telling TMZ that any talk of a riff between Al and the show is nothing more than a "rumor."

Matt was on his way home from the gym in NYC yesterday when we asked about all of the drama with the "Today" show ... including the fact that rival "Good Morning America" has TAKEN OVER as ratings leader in the morning news war.

"We feel the heat every day," Lauer says ... "but we have for the last 20 years that I've been there."

"We're just trying to do the best show we can do every single day ... and I think we're doing a good job right now ... and I think the cycle will reverse."

As for Al Roker's pattern of bizarre behavior on the air since his good friend Ann Curry was fired from the show ... it's clear Lauer doesn't seem too concerned about the situation.

(TMZ) Nas and Kelis are desperately trying to bury the hatchet after their famously bitter divorce war -- in fact, they're even trying to forge a FRIENDSHIP -- and Nas tells TMZ, it's all for their son.

You'll recall, Kelis filed for divorce from Nas in April 2009 and the split was nuclear. The two warred non-stop over custody of their son and money. Kelis said when she was 7 months pregnant she was broke yet Nas refused to give her a penny -- even for medical expenses.

Now, Nas tells TMZ, the two are trying to put the past behind them in order to develop a healthy relationship for the benefit of their 3-year-old son Knight -- but they are NOT reuniting romantically.

The rapper says they've been on good terms for a while now and he hopes it will continue. Nas and Kelis even grabbed dinner last night in L.A. together.